Margaret Island is 2.5 km long and at its widest part there is a huge park 500 m wide. The island is one of the most popular places in Budapest for walking, bathing, entertainment and sports. It is likely that the Romans occupied the island, as remains of villas and watchtowers dating back to Roman times have been found here. During the Middle Ages the Templars of San Juan built the castle-monastery in the southern part of the island. The Dominican order was also established here, in which the daughter of King Bela IV, (Saint) Margarita, lived and died. It was from her that Margarita Island, once called Rabbit Island, received its current name. The medieval buildings were destroyed during the Turkish occupation and it was only from the end of the 18th century that the island became a well-kept park. The owner of the island at the time, Palatine Joseph, planted flowers, trees and plants here and had summer houses built here. In the late 19th century, deep drilling operations brought medicinal thermal water to the surface and Isla Margarita subsequently became an internationally known bathing and recreational area.
The Arpad Bridge crosses the Danube River at the northern end of Margaret Island and there is a road leading from it to the island. The length of the Arpad Bridge is almost 2 kilometers and its length above the water is 928 meters. It was completed in 1950, but has since been expanded.
Private cars can enter the island only through the Arpad Bridge and only to the parking lot next to the Grand Hotel Margitsziget and the Danubius Thermal Hotel Margitsziget. However, you can reach any part of the island by bus, taxi (cab) or minibus service.
The Danubius Thermal Hotel was built in the northern part of the island, near the road leading to the Arpad Bridge, next to the charming Japanese garden. The Grand Hotel Margaret Island is located nearby. In the center of the island is the open-air Theater of the State Opera, where opera and ballet performances and concerts are held every summer. The stage, which is surrounded by century-old trees, has an area of 1,400 square meters. The Water Tower that dominates the theater was built in 1911.
The former Premonstratensian chapel near the Grand Hotel is a reconstructed historical monument of medieval origin. The 12th-century Romanesque church was destroyed during the Turkish occupation and was rebuilt in 1930-1931 using the remaining walls. (The south wall of the nave with the two windows ending in a semicircle is from the original building.) Busts of prominent Hungarian authors and artists line the neighboring promenades. In the middle of the Margaret Island ruins of the Franciscan church of the thirteenth century have survived. Recent excavations have uncovered additional sections of the sanctuary, the sacristy and the former monastery. Next to it are the walls of the former palace of Palatine Joseph. The church of the Dominican nuns (to the east of the Torre del Agua) is another monument worthy of interest. Evidence from the unearthed remains suggests that it originally had a single nave with an octagonal tower on its western side. Next to it are the remains of the patio de conversas, the cloisters and the convent rooms.
The island can be reached from the south via the Margaret Bridge built in 1872-1876 according to plans by E. Gouin. The underground passage leading from the bridge to Isla Margarita was added in 1901. The bridge was blown up by fascists in late 1944 during rush hour. It was reconstructed in 1946-1848. (Tram stops No. 4 and 6 are located at the entrance to the island. Bus No. 26 carries passengers to the island from Nyugati ter next to the West Railway Station).
A bronze monument (by Istvan Kiss) erected in 1972 in commemoration of the centenary of the unification of Pest, Buda and Obuda greets visitors arriving at the southern entrance to the island. Behind it is a fountain illuminated every night in color.
On the left side of the island (on the shore towards Buda) is a sports stadium (called the Pioneers’ Stadium in the socialist era).
The next sports facility is the National Sports Pool, the scene of international swimming competitions and water polo matches. The builder Alfred Hajos was swimming champion in the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896. The establishment has an indoor and two outdoor pools and a third with a high diving board and capacity for 6,000 spectators. Except during training and competition hours, the pool is open to the general public.
On the other side of the island, on the shore facing Buda, is the Palatinus open-air public swimming pool with hot and cold pools and an artificial wave pool. The bathing facilities cover an area of 70,000 square meters and can hold up to 20,000 people. On the other side of Isla Margarita in Obuda we find the remains of the Aquincum dating back to Roman times.
For photos and more information on the places mentioned on Margaret Island, visit my updated Budapest blog.
